The Faith of a Child
by Shinshia101
Summary: Zilla, a young Samaritan girl learns that Jesus could possibly heal her father from leporsy. But will hostilities between the Jews and the Samaritans prevent her from actually seeing Him? A story of faith!


**Disclaimer:** Well this is an obvious disclaimer: I didn't make the Bible. The awesome Big-Man Upstairs is responsible for the genius in the book!

**Author's Note**: A little change in pace from my regular fanfiction, but I got say, I think it is cute. I thought about it one Sabbath and said: "Hey, why not?" So here you go!

**The Faith of a Child**

By Shinshia101

It was another warm day in the village of Sychar in Samaria. The sun's rays beat down at the girl as she carried a large barrel of food for the pigs. As she entered the pen, she dumped the food into the feeding bench. She smiled as she watched the pigs came closer, knowing that it was meal time.

"ZILLA! Hurry up and prepare dinner!"

"Coming Uncle," the young girl replied.

Zilla sighed and walked into the house. She searched the shelves for some oil and wheat. When she found some, she poured the ingredients in a large bowl and stirred it until it was ready. Then she placed the beaten dough into the oven to cook.

"Zilla! Is the bread ready yet? My guests are coming over any minute!" Her uncle, Ezra, demanded as he entered the kitchen. He was a hefty man, with tanned skin, curly brown hair and a beard. Ezra eyed the girl.

"Well?" he inquired.

"The bread is almost ready, Uncle; just another 10 minutes perhaps…"

"I don't have 10 minutes! Agh, you are utterly useless," he said, raising his arms in the air. He turned to leave and mumbled loud enough for the young girl to hear: "If you had just fell with leprosy like your father had, I wouldn't have this problem!"

Zilla lowered her eyes. Sometimes she wished the same thing, at least that way she would be with her father, instead of her uncle who treats her more like a servant than family! It had been two years since her father had suddenly diagnosed with leprosy. It started with a rash on his skin, then he couldn't feel his hands as he worked. Just as soon as he was diagnosed all of his property, possessions and riches were taken from him and soon became an outcast of society. Surprisingly, the young girl didn't catch the disease; however since her father was exiled and her mother was dead, she was forced to live with her uncle.

The bread was ready and she put it in a basket and walked into the dining room. She placed the basket of food on the table as her uncle was seated in one of the chairs talking to his guests. He looked at the bread and then at her.

"Where is the water?"

"We don't have any," she said, looking down at the floor. With all the work she had to do, Zilla had forgotten to go to the well that day, so there was no water in the house.

"Go and get some!" he uncle ordered, before turning to his guests.

The ten year old left the room, retrieved a spare bucket from outside and went to get water at the well. The well was a far walk from home, but Zilla enjoyed her travels there. This well was very special: it was the well that her ancestor Jacob had dug with his very hands and drank from. Zilla lowered the bucket down and watched as it filled with water. She pulled the bucket up, and placed it on the sandy ground. She took a seat next to the bucket and sighed. She was a little tired and rested a little. She watched the other villagers going about their work and duties and remembered her impatient uncle. She got up and was about to pick up her bucket, but someone else had picked it up for her. It was a woman, and she handed Zilla her filled bucket of water.

"Thank you," Zilla said politely as she adjusted her load into her arms.

"You know, there was a Jewish man who came to this very well and told me about 'living water' and that those who drank of it will never thirst. When I asked him for some he told me to get my husband, but I told him I had none."

Zilla looked at the woman. Why was she telling her this? The ten year old girl looked at the sky; it was getting late and her uncle wouldn't be too happy to find out that he and his guests were deprived of water because Zilla stopped to listen to a woman sputter nonsense!

She started to walk away but the woman continued: "Then he told me that I had five husbands and that the one I stay with now is not my husband. I wondered, 'how did this man know all this?'"

Zilla stopped and turned. _How would he have known?_ She was curious herself.

"How did he know?" Zilla asked, now interested in her tale.

"I'll get there," the woman said, taking a seat at the edge of the well. "So I said:

'_Oh, so you're a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?'_

'_Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.'_

_I don't know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we'll get the whole story.' _

'_I am he, You don't have to wait any longer or look any further.'_

"_The_ Messiah…?" Zilla whispered. The woman only nodded. "His name what was his name?"

"Jesus," the woman said as if the name itself held its own beauty. The woman then left, leaving Zilla awestruck.

Surely this man had to be more than a prophet since he knew all the things that the woman had done. Zilla even heard that this man cured people in Galilee, but she always thought they were just rumors, yet listening to the woman's testimony she knew that it had to be real. Was he really the Messiah as the woman said? Was it possible that Jesus could heal her father from his leprosy? Something inside Zilla moved her; she longed to see this Jesus, the long awaited Messiah.

The young girl returned home with a large smile on her face. Even as her uncle was scolding her for her tardiness, she paid him no mind, but rather thought of when she could see Jesus. However a small doubt crept into her mind.

How would she be able to see Jesus if he was in Galilee?

Would Jesus reject her because she wasn't a Jew, but a Samaritan?

Zilla couldn't understand why the Jews hated Samaritans so much; after all she believed in the same God. Samaritans weren't very liked by the Jews because they were Jews with foreign blood in their veins. The hostility between the two groups was so great that Jewish travelers usually chose not to travel through the area where the Samaritans lived, even if was easier to travel through it.

The young girl shook her head. No, if what the woman had told her was true, then this Jesus person was nothing like the other Jews, but different. He passed through Samaria, instead of going around and actually talked to her! Zilla had made up her mind: she was going to Galilee to find this Jesus to heal her father!

The next morning, Zilla woke up early and did her chores as quickly as she could. By the time her uncle woke up, the young girl had departed. The walk to Galilee was far, but nothing was too great, if it meant that she could be with her father. However she was extra careful as she sojourned to Galilee; she was a young girl walking a long distance…alone! She could be kidnapped, or worse…but the girl kept walking, praying for protection. As she approached the Samarian-Galilean border, she felt her knees shake from fear.

What if the Galileans stoned her before she even had the chance to see Jesus?

She entered into the gates of Galilee and looked around.

"Halt, what is a child like you doing here by yourself?" said a man.

"I'm looking for Jesus," Zilla replied.

"From whence do you come from?"

Zilla hesitated before saying, "Samaria…"

"Samaria!"

As soon as the man spoke these words a crowd of people began to gather around her.

"A Samaritan! What is she doing here!"

"Heathen!"

One man picked up a rock and threw it at the young girl hitting her on the shoulder.

"We don't want your kind in Galilee! GET OUT"

"Please, stop!" the young girl cried, yet the rocks kept coming. All she wanted was to ask if Jesus would heal her father. Her greatest fear was coming true…

"Lay not your hand on the child," said a gentle voice in the crowd. Zilla watched as the throng of people parted to let a man pass through. She stared wide-eyed at the man who bent down to her level and smiled at her. Then it dawned on the young girl…this was him!

"Master, please help me," Zilla pleaded, kissing the ground.

"What is your request child?" he asked.

"Could you please heal my father. He has leprosy and he suffers greatly, Lord. I know that thee can heal him." She looked up at him.

"How do you know this? Have you seen me heal?"

Zilla shook her head. "No…Master," she stated hesitantly.

"Then how do you know that I can do such things?"

The young girl thought a moment, then responded, "My father taught me that faith is not whatever you see, but hope in what really could be."

Jesus smiled. "Never have I seen such faith. Go home, your faith has made him well. Your father is presenting himself to the priest."

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "Thank you Master!" Zilla immediately rose and ran out of Galilee to find her father.

**End**

**Author's Note**: Different from my other fics, yes, but I have to spread the Gospel somehow!

Another disclaimer: The woman and Jesus speaking is taken from John 4 (The Message) and the quote "faith is not whatever you see, but hope in what really could be" is a quote from the song called "Change" by Group 1 Crew. (They are an AWESOME band, check them out!)

_Thank you Lord for healing me and for your countless blessings. You are AWESOME, without a doubt, and I know that I wouldn't be here without Your grace. I pray that this story touches someone. Through Jesus' name I pray, Amen. _

God Bless!

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End file.
